1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to a method and apparatus for displaying data, and, more particularly, to a method and apparatus for displaying data related to cardiac episodes, which have been recorded by an implanted medical device.
2. Description of the Related Art
Since the introduction of the first implantable pacemakers in the 1960s, there have been considerable advancements in both the field of electronics and medicine, such that there is presently a wide assortment of commercially available body-implantable electronic medical devices. The class of implantable medical devices now includes pacemakers, implantable cardioverters, defibrillators, neural stimulators, and drug administering devices, among others. Today""s state-of-the-art implantable medical devices are vastly more sophisticated and complex than early ones, capable of performing significantly more complex tasks. The therapeutic benefits of such devices have been well proven.
As the functional sophistication and complexity of implantable medical device systems have increased over the years, it has become increasingly useful to include a system for facilitating communication between one implanted device and another implanted or external device, for example, a programming console, monitoring system, or the like. Shortly after the introduction of the earliest pacemakers, it became apparent that it would be desirable for physicians to non-invasively obtain information regarding the operational status of the implanted device, and/or to exercise at least some control over the device, e.g., to turn the device on or off or adjust the pacing rate, after implant. As new, more advanced features have been incorporated into implantable devices, it has been increasingly useful to convey correspondingly more information to/from the device relating to the selection and control of those features.
Additionally, for diagnostic purposes, it is desirable for the implanted device to be able to communicate information regarding the device""s operational status and the patient""s condition to the physician or clinician. In fact, a wide variety of data may be collected by the implanted device and provided to the physician or clinician. The data provided by the implanted device may be real-time or recorded data. For example, implantable devices are available that can transmit a digitized electrical signal reflecting electrical cardiac activity (e.g., an ECG, EGM or the like) for display, storage, and/or analysis by an external device. In addition, known pacemaker systems have been provided with what is referred to as Marker Channel(trademark) functionality, in which information regarding the pacemaker""s operation and the occurrence of physiological events is communicated to an external programming unit. The Marker Channel(trademark) information can then be printed or displayed in relation to an ECG so as to provide supplemental information regarding pacemaker operation. For example, events such as pacing or sensing of natural heartbeats are recorded with a mark indicating the time of the event relative to the ECG. This is helpful to the physician in interpreting the ECG, and in verifying proper operation of the pacemaker. One example of a Marker Channel(trademark) system is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,374,382 to Markowitz, entitled xe2x80x9cMarker Channel(trademark) Telemetry System for a Medical Device.xe2x80x9d The Markowitz ""382 patent is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
The sheer volume of data and the varying forms in which it may be presented may reduce the effectiveness with which the physician and/or clinician may locate and analyze the data provided by the implanted device. That is, the physician and/or clinician may need to review a number of sets of data in an effort to locate those that show or otherwise illustrate the condition of the implanted device and/or patient in which he/she is interested. As the volume of data recorded and provided by the implanted device continues to increase, the difficulty of locating and analyzing relevant data may be exacerbated.
The present invention is directed to overcoming, or at least reducing the effects of, one or more of the problems set forth above.
In one aspect of the present invention, a method is provided for controllably displaying information retrieved from an implantable device. The method comprises displaying data in a first window identifying a plurality of episodes recorded by the implantable device, wherein the data is comprised of a plurality of fields. Data types that are present in the plurality of fields are displayed in a second window, wherein at least one of the data types may be selected to filter the episodes displayed in the first window and display those episodes having the selected data types.
In another aspect of the present invention, a graphical user interface is provided controllably displaying information retrieved from an implantable device. The graphical user interface is comprised of a first and second window. The first window is adapted to display data identifying a plurality of episodes recorded by the implantable device, wherein the data is comprised of a plurality of fields. The second window is adapted to display data types that may be present in the plurality of fields, wherein at least one of the data types may be selected to filter the episodes displayed in the first window and display those episodes having the selected data types.